Brown, Bitancurt lead West Virginia over Liberty

MORGANTOWN, W.Va.(AP) -- Jarrett Brown ran for one score and Tyler
Bitancurt kicked four field goals to lead West Virginia past
Liberty 33-20 Saturday.

West Virginia won its sixth straight season opener and improved
to 10-0 against Football Championship Subdivision opponents
since 2000.

Brown completed 19 of 26 passes for 243 yards in the first game
of the post-Pat White era but also struggled at times to move
the Mountaineers down the field.

The win wasn't secured until Robert Sands intercepted Liberty's
Tommy Beecher midway through the fourth quarter and West
Virginia's Noel Devine scored two plays later on a 24-yard run
for a 33-13 lead.

West Virginia has plenty to work on with East Carolina coming to
Morgantown next Saturday.

An offensive line that lost three longtime starters was unable
to give Devine much room.

West Virginia did nothing to improve its standing as one of the
nation's worst in yards allowed on kickoffs. Two of Liberty's
drives after kickoffs started in West Virginia territory, and
Western Washington transfer Josh Lider booted one out of bounds.

At least West Virginia temporarily solved its inability to move
the ball in short-yardage situations. WVU converted six of 12
times on third down, including fullback Ryan Clarke's 2-yard TD
run late in the first quarter.

Beecher's first game at Liberty went much better than his last
start - a four-interception mess in South Carolina's 2008 season
opener against North Carolina State.

Beecher went 22-of-33 for 210 yards and engineered two
first-half scoring drives, including a screen pass that Mike
Brown turned into a 20-yard TD and tied the game at 10-10 early
in the second quarter.

On the next series, Jarrett Brown scored from 22 yards out on a
planned draw play on third down to put the Mountaineers ahead to
stay.

But West Virginia found the end zone only one more time the rest
of the game.